Amazon doubles down on nuclear energy with deal for small reactors

The cloud computing and retail giant signed a deal to buy electricity generated by small modular nuclear reactors.


An Amazon data center in Aldie, Va. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

By Shannon Najmabadi and Evan Halper
October 16, 2024 at 12:35 p.m. EDT

Put Amazon on the list of big technology firms embracing new nuclear technologies to fuel their data centers.

Amazon said Wednesday it’s investing in projects to develop small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs. The announcement comes days after Google unveiled a similar plan, as both companies seek to meet growing energy demands from artificial intelligence and data centers while honoring pledges to reduce carbon emissions.

Amazon is leading a $500 million funding round for X-Energy Reactor, a company that develops small modular nuclear reactors and fuel. It’s also working with utilities in Washington state and Virginia on potential SMR projects. Google said Monday it will purchase energy from small modular nuclear reactors built by Kairos Power.

The first Kairos Power SMR is intended to come online by 2030. Amazon and X-Energy want to bring more than 5 gigawatts of power projects online by 2039.

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By Evan Halper
Evan Halper is a business reporter for The Washington Post, covering the energy transition. His work focuses on the tensions between energy demands and decarbonizing the economy. He came to The Post from the Los Angeles Times, where he spent two decades, most recently covering domestic policy and presidential politics from its Washington bureau.follow on X @evanhalper